The first of several mammoth fundraising innovations by former Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof, Band Aid boasted a colossal lineup of the UK’s most talented musicians, gathered for a one-time recording of the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” penned by Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure.  Forty-four artists in total arrived at Sir George Martin’s Air Studios on November 25, 1984 to contribute to the record, the proceeds of which would aid famine relief efforts in Ethiopia. 

 

Geldof succeeded in bringing attention and credibility to the project by enlisting artists with the utmost popularity whom satisfied current cultural trends in music.  Among the noteworthy performers were Paul McCartney, Bono and Adam Clayton of U2, Phil Collins, Sting, David Bowie, George Michael, Boy George, and Simon LeBon and his Duran Duran bandmates.  Completing the era-specific lineup were members of Big Country, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Bananarama, Status Quo, Kool & The Gang, Boomtown Rats, and Heaven 17. 

 

Despite the vast number of performers, there were only three lines in the entire song that featured the full lineup.  Instead, only thirteen of the most prominent vocalists present served to anchor the song’s lyrical content.  Paul Young, a British pop star in the early ‘80’s, had six lines to himself, including the first two of the song.  Boy George, George Michael, Simon LeBon, Bono, and Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 were the only other artists given solo parts while the remaining performers shared lines.  Adam Clayton, Phil Collins, and Midge Ure lent their flawless musicianship to the single as well, playing bass, drums, and keyboards respectively.  Miraculously recorded in one day, the song sold more than 3 million copies.  The staggering lineup reunited a year later for Live Aid, Geldof's intercontinental music festival fundraiser, closing the day's events with an energetic rendering of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"